Author Topic: Local Movie "Game Shows" (Read 9391 times)

TimK2003 · « **on:** January 09, 2006, 07:55:25 PM »

Since there is some talk of accumulating a definitive list of local High School &/or College Quiz Shows, How about starting a list of current or past local Movie Shows that included some sort of game elements between the movie segment. (Kinda like the SCTV "Dialing For Dollars" skits).

Many of these shows were done in the early days of TV up through the 80's as a way for stations to:

A) Fill 2 or 3-hours of their broadcasting day,
B) Show really bad or boring movies from decades before (movies they could either get on the
cheap or free via public domain), and
C) Get Nielsen families to watch these crappy movies.

In Cleveland, the grandaddy of all movie/game shows was "The WUAB-43 Prize Movie".

Prize Movie was on through most of the 70s and lasted thru the mid to late 80s. "Contestants" were called if the emcee picked their post card from the drum.

First, they spun a wheel and either had to guess the person or the show they were on. If the contestant could not identify Andy Griffith's mug (some people really were that dumb), the emcee would dish out a heaping amount of hints -- yet some people still lost on this level!!!. If they passed stage one, they went to stage two -- simply picked one of 6 packets which spelled out WUAB-TV. It was rare to win something that could've been valued at over $10.00 (see fishing line and cheap cologne), though once in a while they'd throw in some tickets to a Home & Flower Show. Then came stage three -- identify a obscure movie clip to win the jackpot of $xxx.43. The jackpot started at $5.43 and increase by $5 for every wrong guess. Some jackpots reached over $1000.

This show was about as cheesy as they came. Even the show's opening was cheesy -- an overview of the set with rotating card drum & spinning wheel with tympani roll, then an upbeat brassy Hollywood music theme to open the show and to be used as background during all the cut-ins.

Long time radio morning mouth John Lanigan was the emcee the longest, with 'Fig' Newton doing a few years in between. WUAB staffers Marty 'Super Host' Sullivan and Jack Reynolds would also fill-in as needed.

Any other memorable Movie Games out there?

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #1 on:** January 09, 2006, 10:43:59 PM »

In Detroit, WXYZ had "Rita Bell's Prize Movie" that ended in 1977. The theme was Al Hirt's "Cotton Candy." That's about all I remember. Conrad Patrick and Bob Hynes had similar shows on CKLW in the early to mid 70s.

The best movie host in Detroit answered questions from viewers rather than asking them. Erstwhile Hollywood actor Bill Kennedy had shows, first on CKLW, then WKBD, on which he would take questions by phone or letter about the movies. I think the segments were shown on the other Kaiser stations.

Finally, Fred Merle had the infamous "Auction Movie" on WGPR in the late 70's and early 80s where you could buy sides of beef and other great merchandise at very low prices while watching old East Side Kids or Edwige Fenech movies.

byrd62 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 10, 2006, 08:41:02 AM »

And don't forget all those Dialing for Dollars variations that were shown during the movies. They pick a number out of a phone book list, determined usually by a spinning wheel [4th from the top, for example], then they call the person listed, who [at least on one version] has to guess how much is in the jackpot, as well as the secret phrase.

I think I read about Channel 6 in Philadelphia producing a full-fledged half-hour Dialing for Dollars show, complete with a live audience and a live organist, during the 1970's.

Cable networks have used bumpers between movies over the years, but they've ranged from Rhonda Shear and Gilbert Gottfried on USA Network's Up All Night during most of the 1990's to TBS' Dinner and a Movie/Movie and a Makeover, and USA's Before and AfterNoon Movie. Maybe any cable channel that shows an edited movie ought to bring back a giveaway element to get to people to watch.

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #3 on:** January 10, 2006, 09:04:43 AM »

Quote

I think I read about Channel 6 in Philadelphia producing a full-fledged half-hour Dialing for Dollars show, complete with a live audience and a live organist, during the 1970's.

So did WKBW Buffalo. They'd go live at 8:55 each morning, and the show would run for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Since that station didn't clear the 4 p.m. ABC game show, they'd take a break half way through "Dailing..." and run it on a one-day tape delay, then go back to "Dailing..." That's the only way I saw "Money Maze" and "You Don't Say" back then!

Don Howard · « **Reply #4 on:** January 10, 2006, 10:02:55 AM »

[quote name=\'TimK2003\' date=\'Jan 9 2006, 07:55 PM\']In Cleveland, the grandaddy of all movie/game shows was "The WUAB-43 Prize Movie". Prize Movie was on through most of the 70s and lasted thru the mid to late 80s. "Contestants" were called if the emcee picked their post card from the drum.

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I was a "contestant" on that show in 1984. Fig Newton called me, I identified Martin Landau (the station was showing late night reruns of Space: 1999 in those days) and won some Flair Squares for choosing packet B. The film clip was worth $255.43---I did not solve the title.
One movie/giveaway show I recall from the 1970s was Money Movie 7 on the Washington DC affiliate of the ABC Television Network. The host would call someone and ask if they knew how much was in the jackpot. If the amount was unknown, more buckage was added and it was back to enjoying "a great motion picture".

DrBear · « **Reply #5 on:** January 10, 2006, 10:09:28 AM »

*unable to resist a nostalgia thread*

Back in the 60s, WFRV-TV 5 in Green Bay did a Dialing for Dollars (ACRONYM COPS: I'm going to use DFD for now) twice a day - for purposes of this thread, two calls during the "Early Show" movie from 3:30-5 p.m., or in those days of NBC affiliation, between Match Game and the syndie T or C. The traditional format, chopped fone books, key phrase (usually a show title) and while with 5 up ot 4 down to choose the phone. Forgettable movies, although they did run the 1950 Alistair Sim "Scrooge" every Christmas, and that may be the best "Christmas Carol" version on film.

They also ran a 15-minute DFD at noon following 15 minutes of news and weather (no sports, because housewives don't care about sports, right?) Dick Kay (later at WMAQ Chicago for many years) did the news, Cal Dring (D-R-I-N-G) the weather and DFD. It took enough viewers that WBAY-TV had to counter on its "Noon Show" with "Greyhound Sweepstakes" (you got the ticket at the local Piggly Wiggly and they showed film of old greyhound races..."Here Comes Rusty!"... and if you matched, you could take it to the store for a prize.)

uncamark · « **Reply #6 on:** January 10, 2006, 12:10:58 PM »

Chicago had its "DFD" franchise on WFLD, starting as a half-hour show and becoming a movie wraparound, most memorably hosted by Jerry G. Bishop, the former WCFL DJ who went on to create "Svengoolie" for WFLD's "Screaming Yellow Theater" (now played by his former assistant Rich Koz on WCIU). When Bishop took over the "DFD" wraparound, he brought all of his radio drop-ins (which continue to be heard to this day on "Svengoolie") and did lots of silly stuff in between what seemed to be mostly old British films. Interestingly, Bishop did the show in black-and-white, presumably so he wouldn't stick out against the black-and-white films.

And then there was "The Prize Movie with Ione" on WLS, the ABC station. Every weekday at 8:30 a.m. until the network roared into life at 10:30 a.m. with "The Brady Bunch" reruns. WLS had (and has) a perpetual contract to air the RKO library (and used to buy movie packages frequently back then), so the movie quality was a little higher than some others. Viewers sent in postcards for squeaky-voiced commercial actress and member of the Dick Orkin stock company Ione Rolnick (who went only by her first name on-air) to call up. If they identified the Song of the Day (usually a familiar number), they got a cheapie prize and then went for the jackpot song (usually some sort of stock library special) I believe the jackpot started at $200 and went up $10 every time unwon. For the last few years of the run, Ione dressed in a leotard for the show and did exercises to the Song of the Day every time it was played.

Before "The Prize Movie" on WLS was "Kennedy & Co.," the talk show hosted by Bob Kennedy, who became a pretty-well-loved figure here in town before his untimely death in 1976. (His show, renamed "AM Chicago," was eventually taken over by someone named Oprah Winfrey.) Every morning at the end of his show, he would do a cross-talk with Ione and when a jackpot song had gone unidentified for several weeks, he started miming the title--"Hi, Mr. Banjo"--every day for several weeks more before someone put two-and-two together and guessed the title correctly.

One more thing--a notable blooper on "The Prize Movie" involved the Song of the Day being the old Kurt Weill song "My Ship." The caller had never heard of it and Ione was pretty much doing everything but saying the title right out. When she said to the caller, "The title is 'My Sh--'," I think you can figure out what the caller said. On live television.

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #7 on:** January 10, 2006, 12:44:37 PM »

Nitpick: Bob Kennedy died in November of 1974. He had been scheduled to be a regular on ABC's upcoming "A.M. America" but as TV Guide reported in the 11/9/74 issue, he had "a staph infection which has not responded to treatment." He died shortly thereafter.

TimK2003 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 10, 2006, 05:46:34 PM »

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jan 10 2006, 10:02 AM\']I was a "contestant" on that show in 1984. Fig Newton called me, I identified Martin Landau (the station was showing late night reruns of Space: 1999 in those days) and won some Flair Squares for choosing packet B. The film clip was worth $255.43---I did not solve the title.

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You need to submit the $$$ Value of the Flair Squares (another prize that was given out forever on that show) to Jay Lewis' Game Show Winners website :-P I'm surprised WUAB wouldn't even cough up a $10-$25 Dining Certificate or two on the prize wall on a regular basis.

One thing I remember on the 'wheel of celebrities' was a couple of 'free' squares -- One space on occasion had a mugshot of the station manager, but after a while faithful viewers could guess him by name as quickly as they could Agnes Moorehead from Bewitched. Another free-space was a picture of "the crew" from the station. Interestingly how if the spin had not landed on the crew's picture after a while, the wheel would sometimes take funny spins to ensure they got some exposure.

Once in a while they would somehow get some famous people to stop by for a couple of games. I remember Shirley from What's Happening dropped in once, and Fig Newton almost had Tiny Tim on, but I think he made fun of him too much at the start of the movie that he became a no-show.

Now I wish I would have taped a few of those Prize Movie segments!

weaklink75 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 10, 2006, 08:23:55 PM »

What about "TV POWW!"? When they had callers play video games (Bowling was one for sure, and I think they used a couple of Intellivision games) where the person controlled the action by saying "Pow!"? Was that done during movies, or was that more during kids' programming? I know we had it in Baltimore, but I don't remember what the programs were around it.

ChuckNet · « **Reply #10 on:** January 10, 2006, 08:36:03 PM »

They also had a version of this here in NY from the late 70s until the mid 80s, only here it was called "TV PIXXX", after originating station WPIX...they aired it several X/day between their afternoon kids' shows for several yrs.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #11 on:** January 10, 2006, 11:10:40 PM »

In Saginaw, we were probably the only place that had TV Poww as a half hour prime access series for a trial run around the summer of 79. Every weeknight at 7 on WEYI. Station sports anchor John Fossen was the host.

mbclev · « **Reply #12 on:** January 11, 2006, 03:38:07 AM »

[quote name=\'weaklink75\' date=\'Jan 10 2006, 08:23 PM\']What about "TV POWW!"? When they had callers play video games (Bowling was one for sure, and I think they used a couple of Intellivision games) where the person controlled the action by saying "Pow!"? Was that done during movies, or was that more during kids' programming? I know we had it in Baltimore, but I don't remember what the programs were around it.

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In Cleveland, "TV POWW" was used during the short-lived WKYC-TV show "Zap!" hosted by Bob Zappe. I remember one day the game they used was bowling, and one contestant got two strikes, and the Ashland High School choir, who were performing on the show that day, cheered on each strike.

uncamark · « **Reply #13 on:** January 11, 2006, 11:37:04 AM »

In Chicago, "TV POWWW!" was a segment on WGN's Bozo and Ray Rayner shows. It seemed like they only used the Channel F shooting gallery game (and WGN didn't own it long enough to progress to the Intellivision games).

clemon79 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 11, 2006, 01:45:20 PM »

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Jan 11 2006, 08:37 AM\']In Chicago, "TV POWWW!" was a segment on WGN's Bozo and Ray Rayner shows. It seemed like they only used the Channel F shooting gallery game (and WGN didn't own it long enough to progress to the Intellivision games).

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In San Francisco, "TV POWWWW!" was an interstitial during the afternoon cartoon block, hosted by their weatherman and "Dialing For Dollars" host Pat McCormick. The games were, if I recall correctly, Channel-F's Shooting Gallery and Bowling (with Bowling being fairly short-lived), and then they switched over to the custom-programmed Intellivision games...Space Battle most notably, then Football, and then back to a two-player-pseudo-split-screen version of Space Battle.

Towards the end, McCormick (who was wearing so many hats for KTVU at the time that he could have opened his own haberdashery) stopped hosting the show, and the game segments were hosted by a blob named Barney, who looked and was controlled in a fashion frighteningly similar to Malcolm.